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Firefox Private Browsing is great for viewing websites without saving things such as cookies, temp files, and a history of the pages you visit.

Private Browsing does not save your browsing information, such as history and cookies, and leaves no trace after you end the session. Firefox also has {for not fx70}[[Content blocking|Content Blocking]]{/for}{for fx70}[[Enhanced Tracking Protection in Firefox for desktop|Enhanced Tracking Protection]]{/for}, which prevents hidden trackers from collecting your data across multiple sites and slowing down your browsing. [[Video:https://youtu.be/TZ6stqlsVsI]] {warning}'''Important:''' Private Browsing does not make you anonymous on the Internet. Your Internet service provider, employer, or the sites themselves can still gather information about pages you visit. Private Browsing also doesn't protect you from [http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Keylogger keyloggers] or [http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware spyware] that may be installed on your computer. To learn more, see [[Common Myths about Private Browsing]].{/warning} __TOC__ = How do I open a new Private Window? = There are two ways to open a new Private Window: '''Open a new Private Window from the Firefox menu''' *Click the menu button [[Image:Fx57Menu]] and then click {button New Private Window}. *;{for not fx63}{for win}[[Image:private tab menu 57 win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:private tab menu 57]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:private tab menu 57 linux]]{/for}{/for}{for fx63}[[Image:Fx63menu-NewPrivateWindow]]{/for} The Private Browsing home page will open in a new window. '''Open a link in a new Private Window''' *[[T:contextmenu]] on any link and choose {menu Open Link in New Private Window} from the context menu. *;{for win}[[Image:Link in Private Window Fx20 Win7]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:Link in Private Window Fx20 Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:Link in Private Window Fx20 Lin]]{/for} {note}'''Tip:''' Private Browsing windows have a purple mask at the top.{/note} ;{for win}[[Image:private mask 57 win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:private mask 57]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:private mask 57 linux]]{/for} = What does Private Browsing not save? = * '''Visited pages''': Pages will not be added to the list of sites in the History menu, the Library window's history list, nor in the [[Awesome Bar - Search your Firefox bookmarks, history and tabs from the address bar|address bar]] drop-down list. * '''Form and Search Bar entries''': Nothing you enter into text boxes on web pages nor the [[Add the Search bar to your Firefox toolbar|Search bar]] will be saved for [[Control whether Firefox automatically fills in forms|Form autocomplete]]. * '''Download List entries''': Files you download will not be listed in the [[Where to find and manage downloaded files in Firefox|Downloads Window]] after you turn off Private Browsing. * '''Cookies''': [[Cookies - Information that websites store on your computer|Cookies]] store information about websites you visit such as site preferences, login status, and data used by plugins like Adobe Flash. Cookies can also be used by third parties to track you across websites. See [[How do I turn on the Do-not-track feature?]] for more information about tracking. Cookies set in private windows are held temporarily in memory, separate from regular window cookies, and discarded at the end of your private session (after the last private window is closed). * '''Cached Web Content''' and '''Offline Web Content and User Data''': Temporary Internet files ([http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_cache cached] files) and files that websites save for offline use will not be saved. {note} '''Note''': * New [[Password Manager - Remember, delete, change and import saved passwords in Firefox|passwords]] and [[Bookmarks in Firefox|bookmarks]] you create while using Private Browsing will be saved. * Any files you download to your computer while using Private Browsing will be saved. {/note} =Can I set Firefox to always use Private Browsing?= Firefox is set to remember history by default but you can change this setting in your Firefox Privacy [[T:optionsorpreferences]]: # [[T:Optionspreferences]] # Select the {menu Privacy & Security} panel and go to the '''History''' section.<br>[[Image:Fx63CustomHistory]] # Choose '''Use custom settings for history''' from the drop-down menu and check the '''Always use private browsing mode''' setting. #* Alternatively, you can select '''Never remember history''' from the drop-down menu, which is equivalent to always being in Private Browsing mode. # Restart Firefox. {warning}'''Important:''' When Firefox is set to '''Always use private browsing mode''' or to '''Never remember history''', you won't see a purple mask at the top of each window, even though you are in Private Browsing mode. To restore normal browsing, go to your {menu Privacy & Security} [[T:optionsorpreferences]] and uncheck '''Always use private browsing mode''' from your '''Use custom settings for history''' settings (or select '''Remember history''' from the drop-down menu) and restart Firefox.{/warning} =Other ways to control what information Firefox saves= *You can always [[Delete browsing, search and download history on Firefox|remove recent browsing, search and download history]] after visiting a site. *Read more articles on this topic: [/products/firefox/privacy-and-security/passwords-forms-search-and-history Passwords, forms, search, and history - control what Firefox suggests]